Exotic Asian Chicken made simple

Asian food comes packed with flavor, and it’s healthy, usually inexpensive and most often quick to prepare. In the culinary world, it’s also known as “smart food” because you can expect it to be fresh and colorful as well, which leads me to my newest recipe – Mahogany Chicken.

The chicken is salty, sweet, sour and peppery all at the same time. The best part of this recipe it that it’s quick and easy, containing only a few ingredients. You probably have most of them on hand.

All you will need to serve alongside this delectable chicken dish is a bowl of steamed rice and quick sautéed snow peas. Although this recipe calls for bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs, you could substitute chicken breasts, legs or wings. I actually used boneless and skinless chicken thighs and they worked out perfectly, plus helped to cut down on the cooking time.

The sauce is made with just a little cornstarch to thicken it and give it a glossy look, but the dark and rich soy sauce is what gives the sauce the beautiful mahogany color.

Try this recipe, you will be glad you did, and I will bet it will be on your menu at least once a week.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger and cornstarch well. Set aside. Roll out the thighs evenly and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken pieces with the freshly ground black pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and brown well, about 10 to 12 minutes on both sides until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and put on a plate. Drain the oil from the skillet and discard.

Add soy sauce mixture to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the skillet and turn the chicken pieces to coat in the sauce. Simmer the chicken until the sauce is thick and glossy for about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter, spoon the additional sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh cilantro or sliced green onions.